Bracelet.



H. HARRIS.

BRACELET.

APPLIGATION Hmm JAN. 13, 1911.

Patqna Aug. 15, 1911.v

621/4 617/ 52 df LU 4 df f HHH 1 minimum Amnmx" HARRY HARRIS, OF CLERKENWELL, LONDON, NGLAND BRACELET.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1911.

Application filed January 13, 19.11. Serial No. 602,464.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY HARRIS, a subjectof the King of England, residing at T President street, Clerkenwell, in the city ot London`v England, have invented, certain new and useful Improvements in or Relat ing to Bracelets or the Like, of which the following is a. specification.

'lhe present-invention relates to articles of jewelry suoli as bracelets or the likev of the spring or expanding type, wherein the article consists of a series of hinged or connected members, formed of more' or less straight bars or links, provided with coil or splral springs, so arranged as to normallyv draw the links together and reduce the bracelet to its smallest diameter, while allowing it to be expanded to pass over the hand of the wearer. In some cases where the size of the 'hand is large in comparison with the wrist,

the limited amount of expansion of bracelets constructed in the known manner, is such that a bracelet which is sufficiently large to pass over-the hand cannot contract suiic ciently around the wrist of the wearer to provide a comfortable or snug` tit. This is particularly the case as regards watch bracelets where it is desirable that the watch should always remain in the same position on the Wrist and should not slip around, as it is liable to do under thel circumstances above mentioned. In bracelets of this kind as hitherto constructed the members forming each link-or section are so arranged that the expanding or movable members thereof usua-llyabut one against the other or faceA one another endwise in the closed or contracted position wit-hin the non-expandingr portion of the link so that the extent to which the., movable members of the link can be expanded amounts to approximately only about the' length'of a sec-tion orno'u-expanding member even in those cases where the expanding portions' can be simultaneously drawn out from the non-expanding member in opposite directions.

' Now accordingr to my invention a double expansion of approximately twice the ordinary extent is obtained by so construct-ingr the links or members of the article that the expanding portions thereof are adapted to overlap or dovetail .into each other when in contracted or normal position so as to form a link-of comparatively short length and to move er he drawn out in opposite directions sinniltaneously wherebythe length of the link is approximately trebled.

In order that my invention may bei clearly understood I will now describe an 'expandingY bracelet constructed in accordance therewith, reference being had to the accompanyingr drawings, in which like reference letters refer to like parts in the various figures.

Figure l is a plan view of two complete sections or links of the. bracelet with the parts in their normal or closed positions:

VFig. 2 is a side view of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is'a.

plan view showing the links in their expanded position; Fig. 4isa side view of Fig. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 1 showing the springs in the. members b in their expanded state. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 3 showingr the springs in the members ZJ in vtheir compressed state: F ig. 7 is a section on the irregular line 3S showing" the springs c (Z in their compressedcondition; F ig. 8 is a view of one of the members I) (or (l) showing the sprintr in position: Figz. 9 is a plan view of F S; Fig'. 10 illustrates in a per'- speetive view the constituents of a. link turned about their hinges and Fig'. 11 is a diagrammatic plan view of two links to illustrate the principle of the present i11-` vention and which will first be explained.

In principle and as shown in Fig. 1l each link consists of a nonexpanding portion or frame A and of two movable or expanding4 parts B and C. rl `he non-expanding portion or frame A forms a female part or double guide .so-shaped as to form spaces A A and A2 which are open in opposite directions and within which the expanding or movable parts B and C are so guided and movable under the influence of tract-ion springs (not shown in Fig. 1l) of opposite traction force that normally the movable members B -and C are drawn into the spaces A Also that their Shanks overlap each other asshown, and the link is contracted to its minimum size, 'while whena. pull is exertedon the links or bracelet the parts B and C are simultaneously drawn out in opposite directions from the spaces A A2 thereby forming a link of more than double its normal length. By preference the frame A consists of a. tri-ple crank shaped member, as shown, made up of individual bars or parts of any appropriate form, and connected together by rivets or the like and held apart and in parallelism "or braced by 'transverse parts A3 of any desired construction, so as to form the guide spaces, closed at opposite ends as above mentioned. In these spaces the expanding members B` C are suitably uided by cross pins D or the like within s ots provided in the walls of the frainemein bers or in any other suitable manner. It

c will of course be understood that the frame members A need not, of necessity, have the form shown in the drawingl for it is obvious that the fork-shaped member B could be gtiided in the same manneilon the outer faces ofthe walls confininethe central portion A2 ofeach frame member A, while the link C isguided within Jit in opposite direction, thereby dispensing with the outer Shanks o f the frame members, although the construction as shown is morepreferable and best adapted for practical purposes. In this'way a bracelet can be formed which in size can be m'ade to snugly lit over the wrist -of the wearer and has' the advantage ,of be'- ing capable of being drawn out to more-than double its length so as to easily slip over even a large sized hand. i

- In the construction shownin Figs. l to l() by wayof example, each section or link may be composed of seven parallel bars-oi' members arranged side by' side. The two outside members consist of fiat plates or strips a wlile the inner members consist of -flat tened rings or loops or slotted bars L, a, 0,' a'- and Z1 respectively. The members c, c', LQ-.. forming 'the non-expanding frame A, are connected togetherl at their ends by transverse pins a2, a distance pieces orballs a4 being employed to space themembers apart, The transverse -pin a at oiiccnd passes freely through the second and sixth members or loops L, b which lie between the iirst, third and fifth and seventh membersrespectively. The outer vends of these loops `are engaged by a cross bar bl serving as the connecting n'ienil'iers between two adjacent links or sections, the end of the central loop c ofthe adjacent link being connected, preferably rigidly, to said cross bar b2. The

central loop c which is alsodii the form of a-f -liattencd ring or slotted bar, is traversed by 'the cross pin a2 at one end of the link, and` I .is connected atits other end to the cross bar next'link on the left hand side. '55' b2 forming the connecting member to the The .second and sixth Yloops b 'li are'each provided with a small spiral spring (llocatcd inside the [loop or {lattened ring, between one end thereof and the transverse pin a3 while the .fourth ,or central loop c is also provided witll' a.4 spiral spring 'allocated inside the vloop between the frce end thereof, and the 'transverse pin (.'.-Ii 'i this way it' will be 'seen that the second and sixth bars or loops ca'n be-drawn out in one dircction'-to .the

rightagainst the action of their springs'd,

while the 'central lbar 'or' loop, c can 'be drawn out in the opposite direction i. e. to the left against the action of its spring, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, the total extension obtainable being therefore more than double 7o o about three times that ot' the length ot' a bar or loop, less the extent occupied Abythe compressed springs and pins'. Suitable distance pieces or perforated balls a* are mounted on the transverse pins a9 a3 and b2 75 to keep the link members properly spat-'edl apart. The contracting or adjacent longitudinal surfaces of the loops b, a and c are preferably so shaped' that they engage one` within the other to a slight extent and there# by assist in maintaining the links in their' correct l'lat state, but I preferably provideeach loop I) ando with a slight-later alpi'o-` jection' or transverse lug b* at their inner v,ends which engage in the slots 'of the adja '-85 cent loops a, a respectively. It willbe .seen that each lilik has two in't'ivements `of"'eX- pansion, to the left and to the right -icspec-v tively, the members or loops b heilig capable of being drawn out to the right against-the action of t'lieirrsprings, and th`e nienibei"c== beingcapable of being drawn out to the leftA against the action of its sprinfr. The mem-1f 'bers a, a?, a and a with the cross bars a* a3 an be regarded las a frame in relation to'95'v which the spring providedloops 6,10 and c f can respectively be moved outwardly, infopposite directions, theiloops b b being trav-i? ersed by the cross bar av and the loop 0 by the cross bar a2. H i' 100 In the case of a watch bracelet, zitthe points where the watchholder is inserted instead .of a cross bar o2 a cross bar b is'- provided having suitable means for-attach-j inciit to the watch holder. 1 105" lVhile l have described a bracelet, the links or sections of which consistof seven'- bars or members arranged side by side, itis obvious that the invention is not liinited'to such a construction, as a ditl'erent number of' '1.1'0

membersI could, as ln'eviously-indicated, bc"- einployed in such manner that one or more of the springprovided or expanding niemf4 bers or loops can be moved outward in relation tothe non-expanding member, in 0110115 direction, while the other spring-provided iiiembeis or loops can be moved outward in the other direction. 1v

It is obvious that insteadl of straigllit flat z links more or less curved links can be iised,` 120`4 or tubes in which the springs are located, i

' wires or the like being employed in connection therewith as means of joining one part or section to another.

If desired .instead of .a simple cross bar being einployed'for connecting two adjacent l links or sections, a more orless 'fancy or elaborate connection may be employed to which the ends of the lspring provided loops 4o r members of the adja`cent linksare con- 139 nected. Moreover,l links according to this invention can be`easily attached to or substituted for links in bracelets or articles of the oidinaryV kind so as to make the latter more iiexible dr eXpansible, if desired. l What I claim'and desire to secure by Letters Patent is j- 1. In an expanding link bracelet, the combination of stationary link Ymembers and movable fork shaped link members guided on said stationary members, each stationary member having side spaces receiving the forked end of the movable member and a central space receiving the single end of the following movable member, and means for normally holding the movable members in the stationary members.

2. In an expanding link bracelet, the combination of stationary link members having central and side spaces opening in opposite directions, and movable fork-shaped link members, each having its forked end guided in the side spaces of one stationary member, and its other end guided in the central .space oi the next 'stationary member, springs attached to said movable members and abut' ments oppositely located on the said stationary member all substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof, I aix my signa-l ture in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY HARRIS. 4Witnesses:

STANLEY D. DIoHnR, JUs'rIN G. POLLAK. 

